It’s a zoo out there

Norfolk County is seeking answers now that no agency has direct responsibility for responding to potentially threatening interactions involving humans and wildlife. Norfolk council this week asked Marlene Miranda, Norfolk’s acting CAO and general manager of health and social services, to look into the matter and report back.

Norfolk County is looking for accountability when it comes to wild animals and their potential impact on local residents.

Delhi Coun. Mike Columbus raised the issue this week after he was asked to deal with an animal complaint recently near the dividing line between Delhi-area Ward 3 and Waterford-area Ward 7.

“I wish I could’ve pushed it across the borderline,” Columbus told council Tuesday. “It involved a skunk.”

Columbus noted that a void has been created now that the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has stopped investigating animal abuse and neglect complaints.

With the OSPCA on the sidelines, Columbus feels it is only a matter of time before the public starts asking the municipality to intervene.

“These things are falling through the cracks,” Columbus said. “It’s the same with raccoons.”

Residents often call police or canine control when they see a wild animal behaving erratically in their neighbourhood.

The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit tracks instances of rabies and other serious diseases that can be transmitted to humans but does not offer front-line assistance where wildlife is concerned.

Columbus contacted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry about the skunk. He received instructions to secure the animal and send its brain away for testing if possible.

The Norfolk OPP will intervene when wild animals pose an immediate threat to public safety. Otherwise, police defer to other agencies.

Waterford Coun. Kim Huffman, a council representative to Norfolk’s Police Services Board, said the Norfolk OPP responded to nearly 300 complaints in this area last year.

However, Huffman added that “The OPP are really not equipped to deal with raccoons wandering through neighbourhoods. It’s not part of their mandate.”

Port Dover Coun. Amy Martin would like a reliable mechanism in place to deal with animal complaints. Coyote incursions into Port Dover have become increasingly frequent in recent years.

“This is a concern for a lot of residents who feel they’re getting the run-around,” Martin said.

Wildlife rescues in the Norfolk area and beyond have received numerous calls in recent months about raccoons in distress or behaving strangely.

In a recent interview, Denise Boniface, manager of BryDen’s Den Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Port Ryerse, said she is not equipped or trained to deal with diseased animals.

Boniface says the large number of sick raccoons is due to an epidemic of distemper sweeping through the population. When wildlife populations reach the peak of their reproductive cycle, disease thins their numbers because they are in such frequent contact with each other.

Council referred the matter to Marlene Miranda, acting CAO and Norfolk and Haldimand’s general manager of health and social services, as an “action item.” Miranda will look into potential responses and report back.

“It would be wonderful to have this conversation before our summer break,” said Simcoe Coun. Ian Rabbitts.